Peek Inside a Rustic, Reclaimed, and Repurposed Cabin in Tennessee

This Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, home is bursting at the beams with ingenious ideas for all things rustic, reclaimed, and repurposed. Consider it the ultimate re-treat.

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Max Kim-Bee

The Little Cabin That Could

Call it the Goldilocks effect: Darryl and Annie McCreary had lived in a roomy 1800s farmhouse and a cozy English cottage, but they craved something in between the two. "We wanted enough room for entertaining and for the kids to have their own space, but we didn't want to be extravagant," says Annie. The solution: A cabin in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, in idyllic woods fittingly similar to the ones the towheaded heroine might have explored way back when.

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Porch

But for this creative duo—Annie makes custom slipcovers through her business, My Swallow's Nest, and Darryl is a trim carpenter who can build just about anything with a hammer and nail—just any run-of-the-mill cabin wouldn't do. "We wanted authentic charm with all of today's modern—and energy-efficient—comforts," says Darryl. Together, they took a meet-in-the-middle approach with a unique space that looks weathered over time but is completely contemporary in its Insulated Concrete Forms construction (an up-and-coming building system that utilizes blocks of expanded polystyrene foam that are stacked, reinforced with rebar, and filled with concrete).

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Gallery Wall

But that's not all; the house also has to bear the brunt of three growing boys (Aidan, Liam, and Finn), so Annie and Darryl incorporated durable accents—from concrete floors to drop cloth slipcovers—up to the task. The end result is a rustic, resilient cabin that fits the family just right.

In this photo: Matte gray-black paint provides a sophisticated backdrop for a casual mix of framed and unframed family silhouettes, oil paintings Annie picked up here and there, and a 1920s deer mount that was a gift from her sister. "My dad was a picker, so I was always collecting things," she says. "I love mixing eras and textures."

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Kitchen

Darryl stumbled across a 20-foot-long by 2-foot-wide piece of solid white oak at his favorite lumberyard and snatched it up to use as a seamless countertop. After staining it a custom combo of colors (Weathered Oak and Classic Gray; both by Minwax), they added a clear water-based polyurethane (Varathane by Rust-Oleum) to up its durability.

Darryl found sconces at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, then added pipe arms to mimic the shelving. Under Annie's clever needle, old shirts from the local Goodwill have new life as bespoke stool toppers. Decorative legs (made from old balusters) and a pleated skirt add a fresh touch to the couple's salvaged sink, which they brought from their previous home.

Drop cloth slipcovers (sold at home-improvement stores) makes for a durable, family- and pet-friendly furniture covering. For the living room upholstery, Annie chose box pleats that leave the legs exposed, while a vintage Orley stove, found on Craigslist, adds old-fashioned charm and keeps the cabin toasty on blustery days.

Sewn by Annie to celebrate Darryl's Irish heritage, a handmade flag, which sports the red cross of St. Patrick, adds visual punch to the space. Additional pops of red, from the worn Turkish rugs to plaid pillows (also sewn by Annie), keep the room feeling inviting and cohesive. Darryl built the 7-foot-long reclaimed dining table using a set of old bedposts as the legs.

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Master Bedroom

Composed of red oak, the dramatic shape of the "Duchess" bed (designed by Darryl and available at McCreary Cottage Company, from $350) creates the perfect rustic-meets-refined effect. The French-style dressing table, inherited from Darryl's grandmother, also looks right at home in the space. "I love the shabby chic look, and it's hard to blend that with masculine touches, but every room has a little bit of both, especially our bedroom," says Annie.

Annie left the edges of the ruffled shams raw and transformed a mix of everyday materials (canvas drop cloths, grain sacks, dishcloths) into beautiful bed linens. (For similar styles, see Sassy Cat Creations.)

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Boy's Room

"I wanted to keep my son's space relatively light, but for my own sanity I couldn't have all-white walls in a boy's bedroom," says Annie. The solution: The bottom (more trafficked) portion is painted Mark Twain Gray Brick by Valspar and the upper in Decorators White by Benjamin Moore. Annie left the concrete surface its natural gray color. A sealant helps protect it from spills.

From the iron bed to the antique globe, most everything in Finn's room belonged to his great-grandpa Sidney or other family members. A wood shipping crate, smartly turned on its side, offers a spot for task lighting and Finn's treasures. (Tip: Books on the bottom keep it from getting top-heavy.).

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Bathroom

This workhorse of a sink (converted from a water trough from the Tractor Supply Company) is up for almost any chore. To add some whimsy to its streamlined silhouette, Darryl gave it wood legs from an old table.

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The Family

"Years ago, if you lived in the country, you couldn't run to the store for something new, so you just made do and made something else work," says Annie. During the summer months, the long farm table usually ends up outside. "We throw those doors open and have a party on the porch," she says.

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